


The Holiday Formula

by Riadasti



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas Fluff, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Holidays, Minor Barry Allen/Cisco Ramon, Older Man/Younger Woman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 10:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27968819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riadasti/pseuds/Riadasti
Summary: Caitlin Snow enters her favorite holiday store with a favor to ask of the owner. Little does she know the owner's ornery nephew has stepped in to take over...
Relationships: Caitlin Snow/Earth-2 Harrison "Harry" Wells
Comments: 52
Kudos: 24





	1. Can I Help You?

**Author's Note:**

> A little teaser-preview of a new work that has been bouncing around in my head. It's the Christmas season, after all. Time to indulge in those tried and true cliches and let my fantasies run wild with my favorite couple that never happened. <3

The bell over the door signaled another customer—and only ten minutes to closing. Delightful.

Harrison leaned around the clearance display and observed a tall, slim woman who was peering around with an expression of deep anxiety. She looked vaguely familiar.

“Can I help you with something?” He stepped out into the main walkway and narrowly avoided being jabbed by a sprig of holly berries.

Her wide, brown eyes fixed onto his figure. She looked him over with a bland expression and shook her head.

“Uh, no, thank you,” she said, as if she were saying no thank you to _him_ and not his offer of assistance.

He frowned. Oddly enough, this rankled him. And he was still pestered by the thought that he had seen her somewhere…

“We close in ten minutes,” he said, turning and resuming the task of re-folding the many assorted scarves.

How they ended up in such a state at the end of one singular workday was beyond him. But he wasn't very good with customers.

Case in point: the young woman was still standing in the same spot, shifting her weight to either foot.

He sighed. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can help you with?”

She bit at her lower lip. “I was actually looking for the owner?”

“I’m the owner,” he said, facing her once more.

“No, I don’t think so,” she said, tilting her head sideways to examine him further.

He raised his eyebrows. Cheeky.

He crossed his arms. “I believe I would have more knowledge of this rather than—”

“Harrison, who are you talking to?”

He glanced up at the interruption and rushed to the side of his aging relative.

“You’re supposed to be sitting down and resting,” he said, glaring at the fact that she was only using one crutch instead of two.

“Oh, shut up, Harry,” she snapped at him. “I’m not made of glass. I just fractured my ankle.”

He deposited her (not too gently) onto the stool behind the register where she eagerly examined the young woman still standing in the middle of the store like a statue.

“Has my nephew been giving you a warm welcome?”

“Uh, well…” the young woman trailed off, her face the picture of indecisive anxiety.

“Just as I thought.” Harrison’s aunt proclaimed. “ _I’m_ still the owner, even if I’m stuck in this ridiculous boot. So what’s your name and what can I do for you?”

“My name is Caitlin, and I was wondering if I could trouble you—that is, I wanted to know if it was possible—would you hire me for the holidays?”


	2. Good for Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She had been momentarily distracted in studying him, but she snapped to attention when he gave her a pointed look.

“Absolutely not.”

Aunt Dani fixed him with a glare. “You’re going to rule her out without even talking to her?”

“Yes,” he said, struck by a sudden thought. “And I just remembered where I know her from. She’s a graduate student.”

She stared at him over her bifocal lenses. “And that’s a problem because…?”

“Because she’ll likely be unreliable and flaky, and she won’t be able to put her focus where it belongs.”

Dani snorted. “Flaky. That's a new one, even for you.”

He smirked. “It’s the new generation of students, I suppose.”

She held up her hands in surrender, but instead of giving in, she hobbled back into the main store and hired Caitlin on the spot.

Harrison followed after a beat and watched Dani ushering a still-chattering Caitlin out the front door.

“She’s cheerful and I like her,” Dani said defensively as she locked the thick double doors.

“It’s your store, Aunt. The decision was always going to be yours.”

She beamed at him. “I knew you were a softie at heart, Harry. You just put up a mean front.”

The next morning, Caitlin found herself standing outside the shop in the bitter cold. Her coat was far too thin, and she knew her creative layering looked a tad ridiculous. And to top it off, she had somehow misplaced her only pair of gloves. She bounced on the balls of her feet and blew warm air on her icy fingers while she studied the window displays.

“Have you been waiting here long?”

Caitlin’s head whipped to the side to find Harrison studying her. Something about him made her uncomfortable.

“Y-yes, I was anxious to get started, I guess,” she said, with a nervous little laugh that sounded nothing like her own.

He nodded and fumbled for his keys to unlock the heavily painted doors. There was evidence with each chipped-away portion that it had at one time been a deep red, navy blue, and even orange beneath the forest green they were now.

Caitlin stared at the back of Harrison’s head as he led them inside. He was giving off some very strong “do not chat with me” vibes, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. He found her annoyingly chipper this early in the morning.

“You’re Dr. Wells, aren’t you?” she said. “You teach the physics courses at the university.”

“I am,” he replied tersely, navigating the narrow passageways to the back of the main room. “And you’re a graduate student.”

“Uh, well—not exactly. I mean, I am, but this is my last semester. I’m finishing my thesis.”

Harrison frowned as he flicked the light switches. A thesis was a pretty major distraction, and it was yet another reason he reserved judgment on Dani’s impulse to hire her.

He felt from the air of expectancy that she was waiting for him to inquire further, but he simply disappeared to the back room. If she was going to be this cheerful, he needed coffee.

Caitlin stared after him and hesitated a beat before following. He was just as prickly as she had expected. She followed the tantalizing aroma of coffee down a small, back hallway and found a quaint kitchen. It was hardly enough room for Harrison’s tall, thin figure, so she decided not to encroach on his bad mood any further and stood outside the door.

He caught sight of her from the corner of his eye.

“Coffee?” he said, pointing to the pot that was beginning to brew.

“No thanks, I’ve already had two cups.”

“Two?” he said, his eyes appraising her behind his glasses.

She thought for a moment. “No, you’re right—it was three.”

“No wonder you’re so energetic,” he said, unable to hide the slight hint of disdain in his voice.

Caitlin gave him a tight smile. He knew it annoyed her, but she was obviously too anxious to make a good impression to say anything negative in reply.

The bell rang at the front door, and a voice called out: “Harry, turn the damn heat on. It’s freezing in here!”

Harrison rolled his eyes and stepped forward. “I need to get through,” he said simply, waiting for Caitlin to take the hint and move.

She had been momentarily distracted in studying him, but she snapped to attention when he gave her a pointed look.

“Oh, I’ll, uh—go help her to a chair,” she said quickly, thankful for a reason to escape the tense silence between them.

Harrison smirked. Dani would have none of that. And just as he predicted, he heard his aunt’s voice only seconds later.

“Stop your fussing, I’m perfectly fine,” she said testily, hobbling over to the seat behind the register while Caitlin hovered at her elbow.

“Would you like some coffee?” Caitlin tried to offer, but she was denied any opportunity to wait on her new boss.

“I don’t drink that diesel fuel. Scientists can’t make their minds up whether it’s healthy or not, so I stick to tea.”

Caitlin swallowed. “Some tea, then?”

Dani gave her an indulgent smile and put a hand on Caitlin’s forearm. “No thank you, sweetie. Do me a favor and take these price tags. I didn't get a chance to finish pricing out the new arrivals on that display.”

Harrison returned in time to watch Caitlin take the small box from the older woman’s outstretched hand and jump into the task with enthusiasm.

Dani turned and fixed him with a sardonic look before returning to the neat pile of signed paperwork Caitlin had dropped onto the counter.

“You just watch, she’ll be good for business,” she said, putting her half-moon spectacles on the bridge of her nose.

His lips flattened into a thin line. “We’ll see.”

“What’s your favorite Christmas music?” Dani directed the question to her newest employee.

Caitlin brightened and turned to fix her with a smile. “I love all the classics—Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald—”

“She has the same taste in music as you do, Harry!” Dani said with a laugh. “I never would have guessed it. I like jazz, myself. The kind with lots of long, extended solos.”

Harrison rolled his eyes and turned to the stereo where he pressed the play button. He noticed too late that Dani had switched out the CD—and a stream of notes exploded through the speakers at the speed of lightning. He quickly lowered the volume and fixed his aunt with a withering look. He _hated_ jazz.

“I like John Coltrane, too,” Caitlin said, her back turned to them while she tapped her toe to the beat of the music.

“Well done!” Dani cried out with a crowing laugh. “It’s two against one, Harry. You’ve lost again.” She pointed at him with her pen. “Today is jazz music day.”

Harrison glowered. He was quite sure hiring Caitlin was a bad idea.

Caitlin was beginning to wonder if she would ever have a moment’s peace while Harrison was around. He was always nearby—just hovering—watching her interactions with customers and offering unnecessary corrections to prices when she misquoted them by a mere dollar. He even had the audacity to double-check her price tagging in full view of her, pointedly switching two that she had accidentally mislabeled. And for heaven’s sake, she _knew_ how to run a register.

“You must hit the green button first—”

“Actually, I think I need to enter the last four digits of the card number before that,” she said with a tight smile, trying not to explode in front of a waiting customer.

Harrison frowned when he realized she was right.

But Caitlin grinned and bore it. It was only her first day, and she desperately needed the work. She would simply have to swallow her frustrations and push through like she always did.

“Well, I think Caitlin proved that she can handle anything today,” Dani said, once they had locked up the shop and sent Caitlin home.

“Hmm,” he gave her a disapproving hum. “She might need to brush up on her attention to detail, and with customers—”

“I was referring to handling being around _you_ all day,” his aunt said with an exasperated sigh. “With you hovering over her like an overprotective hen, it was any wonder she didn’t kick you in the shins and tell you to bug off.”

He frowned, as he always did, and shook his head. “I wasn’t—”

“My, God, you’re an infuriating person at times. You don’t even realize it.” Dani picked up her crutch and made her way to the back entrance.

Harrison stood still in the middle of the store, wondering if he had been a _little_ too harsh on Caitlin today. He didn’t know why he felt so compelled to watch her every move, as if one mistake would bring the whole store crashing down.

“Are you going to take me to dinner or stand there all night?”

Harrison turned and found his aunt giving him a fond, indulgent smile.

“My apologies, Aunt. I was lost in thought.”

“Yes,” she said, and there was a wicked twinkle in her eyes. “I’m sure you were.”

He narrowed his eyes at her behind his glasses. He didn’t know what _that_ meant, but he was sure he didn’t like her suggestive tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harrison is likely going to make himself more of a pest as time goes on. And easy-going, ever-cheerful Caitlin might possibly reach her breaking point.


	3. Watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is my friend, Cisco,” she held up their clasped hands and Cisco grinned cheerfully at Harrison (who frowned in return).

Harrison had made a promise to himself that he would do his best to let Caitlin work on her own. And so far, he thought he was doing a pretty good job of it.

In actual fact, however, he was driving the newest employee of Hoskins Gifts absolutely crazy.

“I’m telling you, he watches everything I do!” Caitlin moaned, leaning back into the cushioned chair and staring down at her untouched coffee.

“Like…he’s stalking you?” Cisco asked, his face full of concern.

“No, he’s not—it’s not like he follows me home or anything. I’ll just look up and find him watching me, or he’ll insist on stepping in whenever a customer has a question before I’ve even really heard what they need! And he won’t let me run the register alone, either. This one time—”

“Have you talked to your boss?” Cisco interrupted, putting a stop to another endless stream of complaints. Ever since she had started this job a week ago, it was all she talked about.

She balked. “ _He’s_ my boss.”

“Is he, though? The store is called Hoskins. As in, Danielle Hoskins, the current owner.”

“Oh,” Caitlin said, repeating this even louder when the realization dawned on her. “Oh, my God, Cisco, you’re right! He’s not my boss, Dani is!”

Cisco nodded slowly, giving her a look that told her she should have figured this out ages ago. “So you can tell him to suck it.”

“Yeah!” she said, and then hesitated. “I mean…I wouldn't want to do that. He is her nephew, after all, and even though he’s a bit of a pest, he’s not _all_ bad.”

“Caitlin,” Cisco said, taking her hand and squeezing it. “You’re my friend and I love you, but you are too much of a people-pleaser sometimes.”

She frowned at him, wishing she could deny it.

Harrison glanced again at his wristwatch, pretending to adjust the garland on one of the fake trees in the front window.

“She’s on her lunch break. Let her have a few extra minutes,” Dani said from the counter.

“What? I wasn’t—I’m not—”

“Yes, I know,” Dani said, that wicked twinkle back in her eyes that he always found unnerving. She went back to balancing out yesterday’s receipts without another word.

The bell on the door rang, and Caitlin returned with a friend in tow.

“Oh,” she said, catching Harrison’s pointed stare. “Sorry I’m a few minutes late. This is my friend, Cisco,” she held up their clasped hands and Cisco grinned cheerfully at Harrison (who frowned in return).

“Well, it’s nice to meet you!” Dani cried from the counter, setting her glasses down. “Come in and explore.”

Cisco released Caitlin’s hand and made his way throughout the various shelves of handmade crafts, artwork, jewelry, and décor. He maintained light chatter with Dani and asked about several of the contributing local artists.

Caitlin walked over to Harrison with an apologetic expression. “I was going to work on that when I got back,” she said, indicating the tail end of the old-fashioned popcorn garland in his hand.

“It’s alright,” he said. “I can take care of it.”

She shook her head. “You’ve actually left a lot of bald spots here in the front.”

And without another word, she began making quick work of rearranging it to her liking.

“Wait, where are the lights?” she said, peering around him at the various boxes on the floor.

“They go on after the garland.”

“No, the lights always go on first!”

“What are you two bickering about, now?” Dani said, threatening (without any real malice) to reach for her crutch if they didn’t sort it out.

“I was just informing her of the proper order of decorating a tree,” he said. “It’s garland, lights, then ornaments.”

Dani shook her head. “Have you learned nothing working for me these past few months? Listen to Caitlin. She knows what she’s doing.” And she promptly returned to chatting with Cisco, seemingly disinterested in their little spat.

Caitlin’s chin lifted in the air slightly, and she had a sudden air of smug satisfaction about her that Harrison found equal parts endearing and obnoxious.

“Very well,” he sighed, reaching up to remove the popcorn garland.

He always seemed to lose out on arguments now that Caitlin was around.

Cisco purchased a few items and then departed, after blowing Caitlin a dramatic kiss on his way out the door.

“He seems like a nice young man,” Harrison commented.

Caitlin stared at him for a moment. It was an odd statement, especially coming from her stoic coworker. It wasn’t only that he was complimenting her friend, but that he had specified “young man.” He had a bit of gray in the hair at his temples, and there were a few care-worn wrinkles on his face. But he couldn’t be more than seven or eight years older than her, could he?

She realized she hadn’t responded, and they were now standing there holding each other’s gaze.

“Uh—yes,” she faltered, returning to the task of wrapping the tree with the strand of lights. “We’ve known each other for almost fifteen years.”

“You seem very close,” he said—and instantly regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth. He wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to pursue this line of discussion. It shouldn’t matter to him.

“Yes,” she answered cautiously. “We are.”

She had no idea where he was going with this, and it was clear from the expression of confusion on his own face that he didn’t know either.

He opened his mouth to say—he didn’t know what—but the bell rang on the door, and they were simultaneously rescued by a handful of customers.

One of them asked if they sold gift tags, and it took Harrison a moment before he realized Caitlin was asking him a question.

“Uh—yes, in the back. On the shelf with the hand-painted night lights,” he said quickly before returning to decorating the tree.

Once the customers were satisfied and were milling about the store, she was by his side again, clicking her tongue in dissatisfaction at the way he had draped the lights.

“Well, why don’t you take care of this, since I seem to be making a mess?” he said with a touch of asperity.

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Fine by me, but you can still be useful. Hold this.”

She handed him the curled up strand of lights and directed him to hand it back to her on either side of the tree. In no time, they had the entire tree wrapped in lights and garland. Once they began placing the ornaments, it was Caitlin’s turn to critique each object he placed on the tree. It seemed she was never satisfied with any decision he made.

With a small smile, he decided it was decent enough payback for how much of a pest he had made himself the past few days. He wouldn’t let her off that easy, though. It was clear they shared one thing in common—a highly competitive streak.

The next few days, he made it his mission to sell more merchandise to customers than she did. He demonstrated surprising ease in small-talking the older customers into purchasing items they were indecisive about, and he often swooped in before she had a chance to even greet them. But where Caitlin had him beat every time was with the younger customers. She seemed to speak their language and anticipate their needs.

Caitlin realized it was in this way that Harrison seemed to separate himself from his peers. He wasn’t that much older in age, but he definitely acted like a crotchety old fart at times. He willfully misunderstood pop culture references and would often be dismissive of people using their phones in the store.

It was one morning that Caitlin felt like she might have crossed a line.

“What is this?” Harrison said, cornering her in the small kitchen in the back.

“What’s what?” she said, her eyes trained on counting the scoops of coffee into the carafe.

“This,” he said, holding his phone under her nose.

“Oh, that’s a website I created for the store.”

“Did Dani consent to this?”

She met his gaze and found he was furious. This took her by surprise.

“Yes, she gave me the go-ahead and I made the website.”

“Did she also tell you to make a Google business listing and to put us all over Facebook? And what is an Instagram?”

Caitlin rolled her eyes at this. “The store wasn’t even listed on Google Maps! It didn’t have the hours anywhere, and you can already see you’re getting good reviews,” she pulled her phone from her pocket.

“Listen to this: ‘Hoskins Gifts has been a staple of the small-town antique district for many years, and the owner Dani has made a name for herself in fostering local artisans and crafters. Shopping here is always a delight. Five stars.’” She met his gaze over the top of her phone. “That’s not bad, is it? Good publicity.”

He frowned even deeper. “How about this, then? ‘While the store is quaint’—which they misspelled—‘the customer service is lacking. Owner Dani is nice enough but the guy who works there is incredibly rude and stand-offish. Will not be visiting again!’ She rated us two stars.”

Caitlin suddenly burst into laughter. “You’re not mad about the store being more social media conscious. You’re mad because _you_ got a bad review!”

“Well—yes! I am!” he said, his neck suddenly flushed. “It makes the store look bad.”

She shook her head and gave him a sardonic look (one that almost mimicked Dani’s. His aunt was clearly rubbing off on her). “Maybe if you spent more time working on your customer service skills and not just trying to watch my every move or out-sell me, you wouldn’t get bad reviews.”

This silenced him. He was still angry, but he also felt a touch of embarrassment that she noticed he had been watching her. And that his ego was clearly so fragile that one bad review sent him spiraling into a rage. Instead of sucking up his pride and apologizing, he turned to his tried and true method of dealing with his feelings. He simply remained indignant.

“You’ll see that all this social media nonsense will be a bad thing," he said. “Eventually it will backfire.”

Caitlin opened her mouth to respond but decided against it. Instead she merely pursed her lips and returned to making the coffee, of which she did not offer him any.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They had a moment...and then, of course, it was broken. Will these two ever learn to get along?


	4. Social Media

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re under my feet today, Harry. Don’t you have some hovering to do?” She gestured to where Caitlin had disappeared in one of the front window displays.

Even Harrison had to admit that attendance at the store had increased.

“By nine percent, Harry.” Dani told him one morning before Caitlin arrived. “Nine! That’s a big increase for our small store.”

“Yes, very _well_ ,” he said with a bitter tone. “I still don’t know what an Instragrammy thing is.”

Dani laughed. “Instagram, Harry. You should get one. Caitlin posts some lovely photos of her Christmas decorations at home and her cat Mr. Frizzle.”

“Mr. Frizzle?” he said, shaking his head.

He would die before admitting he was intrigued.

The bell over the door rang and then promptly clattered to the floor.

“Sorry!” Caitlin said, scrambling to grab the door hanger and replacing it on the top of the entryway.

Her hair was damp, and her raincoat was pulled up as high as it would go on her shoulders. It was one of those cold, wet mornings that left you chilled all day. He noticed she never seemed prepared for the weather. He also wasn’t blind to the fact that she didn’t have a decent winter coat, either. With the bell replaced, she dropped her umbrella in the stand beside the door, stomped her boots on the entry rug, and quickly made her way into the store.

“Not a problem, dear,” Dani said, giving her youngest employee a warm smile. “Working on your thesis again?”

“Yes,” Caitlin said, breathless and visibly excited. “I’m on my last chapter, and sometimes I can’t stop the inspiration to write when it hits me.”

When she had disappeared into the back room for a cup of coffee, Harrison leaned down and conferred with his aunt.

“That makes three mornings in a row she’s been late.”

She gave him a disparaging look. “She informed me she might have a few late mornings until the thesis is completed. I don’t see why it’s any of your concern.”

“I only hope she isn’t trying to take advantage of your kindness.”

Dani put an arm on her hip, and Harrison already knew he had spoken out of turn.

“She is a hard worker and _always_ makes up her time over lunch or stays late.” She sighed. “Honestly, Harry, why are you so hard on her?”

He shook his head, unable to answer his aunt’s question.

Caitlin returned and instantly launched into a discussion with Dani about a potential vendor who wanted to join the store. They looked over photos together while Harrison busied himself on the opposite side of the room, filled with an inexplicable annoyance.

“Caitlin. This is not a drill. I think Harrison—the one and only Dr. Wells—has an Instagram.”

“What?!” She cried into her phone, which buzzed as Cisco sent her a screenshot. She put him on speaker while she checked the picture.

“A user called ‘physics.wells’ liked one of my posts.”

“But your profile is public. That could be anyone, I mean—”

“Caitlin,” Cisco said with painful deliberation. “Think about it. The profile picture is an artistic rendering of some sort of physics formula.”

She peered more closely at it. “It’s the formula for velocity.”

Cisco chuckled, “Okay, nerd. But seriously, this is not a drill.”

Sure enough, when Caitlin checked in on the Hoskins.gifts account, she found the same username had just followed the page. She couldn’t believe it. And she just knew she had to tease him mercilessly about it.

After spending most of the day rearranging several shelves to make room for new arrivals, she found Harrison had moved to stand beside her. He had offered to put the price tags on the items, which she thought was unusually agreeable of him. She was sure it wouldn’t last long. He had a sense of urgency or expectancy about him, like he wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start. He kept glancing at her, and she decided she would put him out of his misery—and sneak in a little bit of teasing.

“So what did you think of the latest Hoskins Gifts post on Instagram?” she said nonchalantly, readjusting a collection of hand-painted ceramic ornaments in a bowl.

She turned and found him staring at her blankly.

“Cisco,” she said as an explanation.

“Ah,” he said, his shoulders visibly tensing. “I didn’t mean to like his picture. I actually don’t know how I did that.”

Caitlin shook her head. “You probably double-tapped it accidentally. It automatically likes the post—and I’m sorry, how can you be so intelligent and not figure out how to work Instagram?”

He frowned (a typical expression for him) and paused with his hand in mid-air over a carved wooden candleholder. “You think I’m intelligent?”

“Well,” she said, trying to regain her ground. “I mean, yes. You teach several courses on physics at the university. You have a doctorate. And…I have a few friends who took your class.”

“Anyone I’d remember?”

She winced. “Not sure they’d want me to tell you. They didn’t do very well. You also have a reputation for being a pretty harsh grader.”

He said nothing but slowly resumed his task.

“I think you’ve put those on the wrong items. The candleholders should only be $15,” she said, leaning over to peer at his handiwork.

“My mistake,” he replied, startling her by actually admitting to an error.

She cleared her throat. “Have you found my profile yet?”

He gave her a sidelong look and decided on a vague reply. “Not exactly.”

“O-kay,” she said. “Well, feel free to follow me. I don’t post much besides pictures of my cat, but maybe you can learn a thing or two about taking selfies. Or maybe even smiling.”

Harrison turned and realized she was teasing him again. He offered her a half-hearted attempt at a smile before finishing the mistakes he’d made on the price tags. After a moment, he decided it was probably best to keep a bit more distance between them. Her proximity was doing something strange to him today.

He took refuge behind the cash register. Except after only ten minutes, Dani actually kicked him out from behind the safety and confinement of the counter.

“You’re under my feet today, Harry. Don’t you have some hovering to do?” She gestured to where Caitlin had disappeared in one of the front window displays.

He sighed. He was realizing more and more how much Caitlin reminded him of his aunt, or perhaps it was vice-versa. He couldn’t keep track anymore.

He also had very few distractions to keep him busy that day. Though attendance, as a whole, had been up the last week, it was a rainy and cold Thursday, so they had only a handful of customers. Each one that came in, he found himself pouncing on them to offer assistance. One of them was a regular, and she gave him the oddest look when he asked her two separate times if she needed anything.

“As I said, I’m just looking,” the woman replied, raising one eyebrow at him.

“Ignore him, Carol,” Dani supplied as an aside. “He’s a bit stir crazy today with the rain or something.”

The two women had a good laugh at his expense, and he glanced over to see Caitlin eyeing him with a touch of concern. Harrison quickly decided the safest space would be the back kitchen, where he busied himself by making a fresh cup of coffee. He needed an excuse to stay back here for a few moments while he gathered his thoughts.

Meanwhile, he found himself pulling up Instagram on his phone. He found the Hoskins page and looked through the accounts following the page. It didn’t take him long to find her account. Her profile picture was a selfie with a ginger, smush-faced cat that was wearing a dour expression. Caitlin was grinning ear to ear, her eyes tightly shut in a burst of silent laughter.

She was beautiful.

And as Harrison hit the “follow” button, he suddenly realized he was in way over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love the thought of Harrison being so completely inept at social media. 
> 
> Also, the idea for Mr. Frizzle obviously comes from Ms. Frizzle, the bus driver on the Magic Schoolbus. I think it's a fantastic pet name and might use it myself some day. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this! I hope to write some more this weekend as I'm feeling under the weather. <3 <3 Much love!


	5. The Backlash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you coming in?” she said, shivering and holding her arms. She had come to find him without her coat.
> 
> He allowed himself to smile down at her. “Yes, but only to get you out of the cold.”

_He’s liked every single one of your photos._

Caitlin stared down at the direct message from Cisco and frowned.

_All of them? Even…the ones I should have deleted?_ She responded.

There was a pause, the typing bubble appeared a few times, and then Cisco sent back, _I guess not those. You going to tell him about it?_

Caitlin sighed. _Not unless he asks me first._

The next week was bustling as business continued to improve. More vendors wanted to get in with the store, and so Caitlin (with Dani’s permission) actually found herself turning people away, for the present. She was pleased to find more boxes delivered each day, but they were rapidly running out of space on the many antique shelves and hutches that lined the walls and floors of Hoskins Gifts. And for the first time, she got a complaint from a vendor who came to observe the progress of her sales.

“I don’t feel they are displayed prominently enough,” Sally said, staring down at the pile of hand-knitted scarves that had been tucked into the lower shelf of a hutch.

“Oh,” Caitlin was racking her brain for a solution. “We are actually planning to rotate the displays each week, so yours is scheduled to be on the center, front display by next week, I promise.”

Sally seemed satisfied with this, but now it meant Caitlin had to work out a rotation system. She and Dani were hard at work on this during an afternoon lull, staring down at the list of items.

“What about moving James’ and Ruth’s soaps to the back this week and making room for Debbie’s stuffed creatures in the center aisle?”

“No,” Dani said, “James and Ruth were adamant about keeping their soaps in plain view of the register for last-minute purchases.”

Caitlin frowned.

Harrison, meanwhile, hovered, as he always did, and offered unwanted advice. “I believe we have too many vendors for the size of the store.”

Dani held a hand up toward him without glancing in his direction. “Not helpful, dear.”

Caitlin studied him for a moment. “I'm loath to admit it, but he might be right. I think I got us in too deep and should have limited the number of contributors. Everyone wants a piece of the pie, and we don't have room!” She ran her fingers through her long, dark hair, mussing the side braid into a trail of raised peaks along the top of her head.

She glanced up to find Harrison snickering about something. She was immediately outraged. She had finally reached her breaking point.

“This may be funny to you, but I was just trying to expand the business a little bit—and I thought I was doing the right thing. I don’t appreciate—”

“No, no,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “It’s just—your hair.”

She gaped at him, but she was too angry to say anything more. Somehow him laughing at her hair was _worse_.

Caitlin quickly excused herself to the back hallway where she stormed into the employee bathroom. The reflection looking back at her was rather humorous, actually—even she had to admit. She took a few deep breaths to calm the frantic pace of her heartbeat before reaching up to extricate her hair from its complicated style. She would not be attempting this one again.

A light tap brought her attention to the door, which she’d left ajar.

“Hey,” Harrison said, his face downturned. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her just then.

She could only just make out his eyes behind the lenses of his glasses in this light. When she said nothing, he continued.

“I wasn’t laughing at you. You know that, right?”

Caitlin sighed and let her hands drop from where they had been undoing the braid in her hair.

“I know,” she said. “I guess I'm a bit touchy about all this because I blame myself if anything goes wrong. You were right about some of this social media stuff backfiring.”

Hearing his words thrown at him was almost too much. He glanced up and met her gaze in the mirror.

“I don’t think it’s backfiring. It’s just…growing pains or something. We’ll find the right balance.”

She turned and met his gaze in actuality, not just the reflection this time. “You’re roping yourself into this scheme now?”

He nodded. “I’m—uh—sorry. That I’ve been so hard on you,” he said haltingly. He was rusty with apologizing.

She took a step towards him. “It’s because you see great promise in me, right?”

“Something like that,” he responded too quickly, before he realized she had been teasing him again. It was a slip of the tongue, but he realized…it was the truth.

“Oh,” was all she said, her face falling a bit.

He couldn’t tell if she was pleased or still angry with him. Normally her expressions were clear as day on her face, but in this lighting—the dim, single bulb of the employee bathroom—he could barely read her.

“So—”

“I, uh—”

They spoke simultaneously, and finally Harrison just stepped out of the way and gestured for Caitlin to pass.

“I have some ideas, if you’re willing to listen,” he said as he followed her back to the main room.

She gave him a smirk over her shoulder. “I guess I’ll allow it this one time.”

She liked the way his neck flushed when she embarrassed him or made him uncomfortable. And she suddenly realized she was in way over her head.

They returned and Dani immediately dove into some more ideas, as if nothing had happened. Harrison actually _did_ offer some helpful advice about adjusting the contract that vendors signed to permit the seller to place their products wherever they could in the store.

“That way they can’t come in here and complain—well, they can, but they contractually can’t do anything about it,” he added.

Dani nodded her head, eyebrows raised. “Smart,” she said. Then she nudged Caitlin gently in the ribs. “But then Harry always was a smart cookie.”

Caitlin felt her cheeks redden. Dani must have overheard their conversation that day. Sometimes she forgot, when she was caught up in a moment with Harrison, that they weren’t the only two people in the store. And Dani had sharp attention to detail.

They continued brainstorming, and Dani absently moved to stand behind Caitlin, playing gently with her hair. Caitlin found this immensely relaxing, and it helped her to think a bit more clearly.

“You have such lovely hair. Makes me regret chopping mind off,” Dani said, gesturing to her short, spiky gray hair.

Caitlin reached up and realized her boss had managed to twist her smooth, uncooperative locks into a delicate side French braid.

The bell rang, signaling the entrance of two figures.

“We’ve come to whisk you away for a celebration!” Cisco announced, arm-in-arm with a very tall young man.

“I wasn’t expecting you yet!” Caitlin cried out, leaving the counter to embrace them both.

She spoke animatedly with the tall, good-looking companion, asking about his flight and various other details. She suddenly turned and passed around introductions.

Harrison learned the new friend was named Barry, and he was just as attentive to Caitlin as Cisco was—embracing her, tweaking her braid, alternately linking arms with her. They all seemed very close.

“So you’re Dr. Wells,” Barry said, suddenly turning his gaze to him.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask how long you’ve been in lo—”

“That’s quite enough,” Caitlin said, ushering her two friends towards the door. “I’ll see you at the pub in an hour.”

Dani piped in, “Why not leave now? You’ve done plenty of work for one day.”

Caitlin tried to demur, but Dani insisted. “You’re celebrating finishing your thesis, after all.”

She paused a moment and then fixed both her boss and her coworker with a bright smile. “You should both join us!”

“I’m tired and far too old to be enjoying any sort of night life that doesn’t involve a brandy and a good book in front of the fire. But Harry can join you once he’s taken me home.”

Harrison gaped at her. He was suddenly roped into this social outing, and despite Caitlin’s overt invitation, he tried to excuse himself. But Dani was having none of it. She had put her uninjured foot down and wasn’t going to accept no for an answer.

There was a whirlwind of activity where Dani and Harrison saw the young trio off, locked up the shop, and drove to Dani’s home.

And just as suddenly, Harrison found himself driving back to town and parking his car near The Blue Tick, the smaller, quieter bar in town. He glanced in the front window and saw Caitlin, Barry, and Cisco laughing over some shared joke. Just as he was starting to feel too disconnected and out of place to join them, Caitlin caught sight of him.

“Are you coming in?” she said, shivering and holding her arms. She had come to find him without her coat.

He allowed himself to smile down at her. “Yes, but only to get you out of the cold.”

Caitlin returned his smile. There was a touch of surprise on her face as he escorted her indoors. She felt the warmth of his hand on the small of her back as they reentered the bar.

“Harry’s here!” Cisco cried out.

Barry reached out and even shook his hand. He hadn’t expected such a warm welcome, but he caught sight of a new sort of smile tugging at Caitlin’s lips as he removed his coat and joined them at the table.

Perhaps this might actually be fun after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now this gets interesting. What sort of things will be revealed with a little help from our good friend alcohol?
> 
> Stay tuned!


	6. Trying New Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She let out a soft laugh. “I was curious to see you out of your element.”

Caitlin kept finding herself watching Harrison. She couldn't help herself—it was just so strange to see him in a bar talking to her best friends. He caught her a few times, and each time he even…smiled. It was all just so bizarre.

“So, Harry,” Cisco said, leaning over and putting his arm on Harrison’s shoulder. “Tell us how you ended up in our small town.”

Caitlin bit back a smile. Cisco always got a little flirtatious after his second beer. The close proximity was clearly making Harrison uncomfortable, and she was enjoying this immensely.

He cleared his throat. “It’s not a very interesting story.”

“It has to be more interesting than mine and Caitlin’s!” Cisco said, giving Harrison a playful shove.

Barry politely pulled Cisco away and into a hug, just to spare Harrison further embarrassment.

“Yeah, we were born and raised here,” Cisco continued, distracting himself by tugging at the collar of Barry’s button-up shirt. “And Caitlin left for like two years when she got engaged, and then when he was gone she came back. So what brings you here, man?”

Harrison was intrigued by Cisco’s off-handed description of Caitlin’s journey, but he realized it would be impossible to pry further at the moment.

“The job brought me here,” he finally said with a shrug. “And my aunt. It’s as simple as that.”

“It _can’t_ be that simple,” Cisco insisted.

“Come on, sweetie, let’s go dance!” Barry offered, pulling a tipsy Cisco along with him.

Harrison watched them standing arm in arm in front of an old-fashioned jukebox.

“What’s their story?” he said, indicating the pair of them with a nod of his head and secretly grateful for the change in topic.

Caitlin sipped on her wine and swallowed. “Best friends turned to lovers. They’ve been dating off and on for a few years now.”

“That’s nice,” he said, genuinely meaning it.

A part of him was envious of the easy-going affection passing back and forth between the pair. He had never been adept at offering affection.

“Yeah. I think Barry needs to pop the question soon, though,” she said absently, with a small, uncontrollable little quiver in her voice. “Cisco’s getting impatient.”

She felt Harrison’s eyes on her after she spoke, and she took another gulp of wine.

“You want to ask me about Ronnie,” she said, meeting his gaze fleetingly before returning it to the coaster she was toying with.

What he wanted to say was _yes, tell me everything about the young man in your Instagram photos_ —but he decided that might just be the alcohol talking.

“Not if you don’t want to talk about it,” he said cautiously.

She downed the rest of her merlot and sighed. He was momentarily distracted by the tint of purple it left on her lips. He decided that was most _definitely_ due to the alcohol and decided to take a sip of water to clear his head. He had only had one glass of stout, but he guessed it had been a while. In fact, he couldn’t recall the last time he had enjoyed a pint with friends.

“Well, we fell in love,” she said, drawing him back from his momentary reverie.

He was also enjoying the opportunity to study Caitlin unabashedly. He was simply being attentive to her story, after all. He certainly wasn’t enjoying the way the fake tea light on the table played with the shine of her long hair.

She cleared her throat and continued. “He asked me to marry him. I moved to Chicago to be with him while he finished med school. But he—uh, was in a car accident a year and half ago. So after he was…gone, I came back home to finish my thesis in person.”

“That must have been difficult.” It felt like a hollow sentiment, but he meant it. If he were perhaps two more beers in, he might have even ventured to take her hand.

“It was, but I had Cisco and Barry to get me through.”

Caitlin met his gaze—he was well and truly staring at her now—and she turned away to watch her best friends slow dance in the corner of the bar.

Harrison wiped his hands on the legs of his pants, desperately seeking a distraction from the lull that had fallen over them, even if it was pleasant.

“Would you like another glass of wine?”

She met his question with an inquisitive look. “I’ll try whatever you’re having.”

He raised his eyebrows. He knew he could be a bit judgmental, but he had certainly pegged her as a wine drinker.

At his silence, she shrugged. “Lately, I find myself wanting to try new things.”

She sifted through her purse to find her wallet, but he reached out and put a soothing hand on her arm.

“This is on me. You’re celebrating a milestone after all.”

Her eyes watched him closely as he navigated the small group at the bar and ordered their drinks.

He returned and she suddenly burst into laughter. He placed a nearly overflowing pint glass in front of her, but he was holding a glass of the pinkest rosé wine Caitlin had ever seen. Even from across the table, she could smell its sickly sweetness.

“I thought I might try something new, too,” he said.

She shook her head at him, baffled at all the new sides of him she was witnessing.

They simultaneously sipped their drinks, and a mirrored expression of disgust played across both of their faces. Caitlin and Harrison stared at one another for a brief moment before a smile passed between them.

“We should trade,” they said simultaneously.

Once this had been accomplished, Caitlin sighed into her wine glass.

“I’ll leave the fizzy coffee water to you,” she said, pointing to the stout.

“And you can have as much of that cough syrup as you like,” he replied with a smirk.

Barry and Cisco made their way back to the table at last and excused themselves.

“Beer always makes him sleepy after a while,” Barry said, staring down at Cisco with an exceedingly fond expression.

Cisco tugged on Barry’s shirt with a playful smile. “Take me home, stud.”

Barry’s face flushed at the pet name, and he quickly moved to give Caitlin a farewell hug.

“So proud of you, sweetie,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. Cisco did the same, and both young men turned to shake Harrison’s hand in turn.

“We should do this again!” Cisco declared, still holding firmly to Harrison’s hand and shaking it vigorously.

Barry reiterated the statement and gently pulled his tipsy boyfriend away. They two of them departed, pausing to kiss on the sidewalk just outside the bar. Harrison glanced back and caught sight of an unguarded look of longing on Caitlin’s face—just before it disappeared into a mask of indifference. Another lull had fallen over them, and Harrison felt a familiar anxiety fill his chest. He was entirely out of his depth.

“Should we…go somewhere else? Maybe take a stroll?” he offered.

“I’m actually getting a little hungry. Those nachos didn’t really do much for me.” Caitlin said, then realized she had practically asked him to take her to dinner.

“I mean—only if you want to,” she scrambled for an excuse. “There’s a food truck that always parks at the end of the street. Hot dogs, hamburgers, that kind of thing. If you want.” She forcibly shut her mouth and took another sip of the wine.

Harrison studied her for a moment. She was flustered, and he felt a similar sense of unease. Perhaps they were equally as rusty at—whatever this was between them.

But suddenly he had closed out the tab, retrieved their coats, and was leading them outside. Perhaps his better judgment was won over by the way she kept looking at him, like she had been doing all night. As if she was seeing him for the first time.

He felt the same way. The soft streetlights created new angles and shadows across her face as they passed each one, and she was shivering slightly.

“Your coat is inadequate,” he said.

She glanced at him, her guard up once more. He seemed to have that effect on her. Before he could remedy it, she was already diving into a defensive explanation.

“My old one fell apart and I’ve been saving up for a new one.”

“No, that’s—it was just an observation because you looked cold.” Harrison stuffed his hands into his pocket, having to physically fight against the urge to pull her into the confines of his coat. Every inch of her looked chilled.

She gave him a considering glance. “You do that a lot, you know. Make little observations.”

He met her gaze, waiting for her to elaborate.

“It can come across as critical,” she said.

Harrison paused and turned to face her. “I know I have been critical in the past. And I—apologize,” he said.

Even two beers couldn’t help him offer an easy apology. It always felt like he had to wring it out of himself like water from a slightly damp cloth.

“I’m not—the easiest person to get along with,” he said, staring at the toes of her tennis shoes. Goodness, even her shoes were inadequate for the cold weather.

“You don’t say?” she said.

He glanced up and saw she was grinning at him, teasing him.

“And despite that, you invited me to get a drink,” he said, resuming their pace towards the tantalizing scents of the food truck.

She let out a soft laugh. “I was curious to see you out of your element.”

Harrison studied her profile as she read the menu on the side of the truck. He considered he had been out of his element since the moment she walked into Hoskins Gifts and practically hired herself on the spot.

_You home?_ Barry’s message came through around midnight.

Caitlin typed back a response: _Just got back._

_And…how was he?_

She rolled her eyes at his question. _I have no idea what you mean._

Barry sent a gif, a man staring at someone just off-camera with an indignant expression. _I cannot believe you’re playing coy with me, Snow. SPILL THE BEANS._

She fell back on her bed and considered her next reply.

_Caitlin, don’t you ghost me!!_ Barry messaged her.

_Fine!_ She typed back. _He bought me a burger from the food truck and we got some hot chocolate from Sweet Nothings because I was freezing._

_Please tell me you brought something else to wear with you when you moved back, because if not Cisco and I are buying you a new coat!!_

She smirked and settled into bed, pulling the covers up to her ears.

_Did you have fun, at least? Sorry we had to duck out early._

Caitlin smiled at Barry’s message. She was blessed with good friends.

_I had a really nice time,_ she sent back with a blushing face emoji.

She was just about to plug her phone in for the night when another message came through.

_I KNEW HE LIKED YOU_ – this was from Cisco, and there was a screenshot of an Instagram post from Harrison. She opened the image and found a candid photo of herself walking away from the camera. He had to have taken it when they parted ways at the end of their time together. She only recognized herself by the thin, army-green coat she was wearing. 

The caption read: “Was reminded tonight to try new things. 10/10, would do this again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of silent pining and quiet longing in this one. More to come, my lovelies. <3


	7. New Sort of Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Harry, would you stand still for two seconds!” Caitlin said, having finally cornered him behind the cash register.

The next morning, Harrison was suddenly on edge—more than usual. He shouldn’t have gotten drinks with Caitlin and her friends, the evening walk with Caitlin was probably unwise, and he most definitely should _not_ have posted that photo of her on Instagram. What was he _doing_?

“Harry, are you alright?” Aunt Dani said from the passenger seat.

“Yes, why?” he said, his tone a bit snappish.

“Oh, no reason. You’ve just missed the turn, is all.”

He suddenly slammed on the brakes, cursed when the car behind them honked, and found a nearby parking lot to turn around in.

“So how was your evening out on the town?” Dani said, studying the edge of her purse as if it were the most fascinating object.

“It was fine,” he said, certainly not willing to express his uncertainty and lingering discomfort to his aunt who—while well-meaning and kind-hearted—was showing an alarming tendency towards matchmaking.

“I see,” was all she said as he finally parked the car in the correct parking lot.

He glanced at her and narrowed his eyes. He just knew she had something up her sleeve.

They entered from the back door this time as they had several supply boxes to drop off in the back storeroom. Harrison made his way through the semi-darkened interior to find Caitlin waiting outside the front entrance. She was hopping from either foot and rubbing her hands together.

He opened the doors and ushered her inside. “Come in and get warm, for heaven’s sake,” he said, his tone more censorious than he had intended.

She thanked him and gave him an uncertain smile. She had been looking forward to seeing him—there had been actual butterflies in her stomach. What would it be like to see him after last night?

Instead of a warm welcome, he shut the door and apparently couldn’t even look at her.

Caitlin was baffled by his behavior. He seemed to have a good enough time last night, and the photo on Instagram was certainly confusing in light of the mixed signals he was giving her now.

She tried to tease him gently, but he barely responded. With a huff, she decided she would just ignore him if he was going to be a childish turd for no apparent reason.

It wasn’t difficult to pretend he wasn’t in the room, because he practically locked himself away in the back storeroom to “organize” the new shipments for most of the day. She had no complaints. Dani was pleasant company, and it allowed her to roam freely and move things around as she saw fit without him watching her every move.

“Harry,” Dani’s voice cut into his stormy thoughts as he readjusted a pile of receipt paper refills.

“Yes, Aunt?” he said, distractedly.

“Would you like to explain to me why you’re being more of an ass than usual?”

Harrison turned with a startled expression, finding his aunt leaning against the doorjamb without her crutch and with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he tried to protest.

She shook her head and simply hobbled off towards the store again without a word.

He frowned and resumed his task with renewed vigor. He knew he was being an ass, but he didn’t really know why or how to stop it. He only knew the longer he spent in Caitlin’s company, the more he felt like he was going to explode. So he continued to hole himself up in the storeroom.

Caitlin meanwhile was replaying all of their conversations from the evening prior. Had she said something to offend him?

She shook her head, chiding herself. Cisco would be ashamed if he knew she was trying to find fault with herself. She had nothing to be ashamed of with any of her behavior last night. After they ate, they had walked around and even entered a few shops that were open late for the holiday season. There were moments of pleasant stillness between them, and she found she didn’t mind. They didn’t always have to be talking. But when they did converse, it was to discover shared interests.

No, she had nothing to regret from last night. But apparently Harrison did. And until he decided to pull the rather large stick out of his ass, she wasn’t going to push him.

“Something’s come up, and I have to leave early,” Dani suddenly declared after lunch.

Harry left the back room to find Dani already wearing her coat and hobbling to the front door with her crutch.

“My friend Susan is coming to pick me up.” She glanced around and noted the lack of customers. “It’s been a slow day, so why don’t you two unpack the rest of the deliveries and call it day? You’ll be compensated accordingly.”

Harrison frowned at her back as she turned to leave without offering room for argument. This was some devious plan of hers, and he was determined not to go along with whatever she thought would come of it.

Caitlin thanked her and escorted her the rest of the way to the waiting car outside while Harrison watched her.

After flipping the closed sign and locking the front door, she turned and found him staring. Her face, which had still held a hint of a smile, fell completely. She gave him a blank look, and it left him feeling cold.

“Everything okay?” she said, but her tone intimated she didn’t really care one way or the other.

“Yep,” he responded with a snap before disappearing in the back to retrieve the boxes.

“You’re being weird. Weirder than normal, that is,” she called after him, trying to poke fun and lighten his stormy mood.

He said nothing and simply began piling the boxes on the floor in front of the cash register. She studied him for a moment, wondering if his frown lines could get any deeper and eventually sighed.

Caitlin walked over to the stereo and changed the music to a Best Classic Hits album—her personal favorite. She hoped the soothing sounds of Ella, Bing, and Frank would ease whatever troubled him, but he only seemed to grow more withdrawn and quiet.

_Fine, be that way!_ She wanted to scream at him. Instead, she decided to ignore him completely and work on the opposite side of the store.

Eventually, however, they had reached the last box and were forced to stand side by side while unpacking the newest arrivals and packing up an old display.

“Are you angry with me?” she finally said, unable to contain herself.

He sighed, wondering if he should just tell her everything. But of course, he was Harrison and he seemed to delight in making things difficult.

“No,” he said.

She shook her head. “Okay, whatever you say.”

“It’s just—I guess I’m a bit angry with myself.”

“O-kay?” she said slowly, studying him with growing unease.

He ran his hands through his hair and took a few steps away from her, his back now turned. “I’m just—really inept at this.”

Caitlin had an inkling what he might mean, but she wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. He was miserable, and she was determined to let the feeling linger a bit longer.

“At what?” she asked, feigning innocence.

He finally turned and waved his hand in the air between them. “This.”

She took a step forward. “I don’t follow your meaning.”

“Well—last night,” he said, his neck reddening suddenly. “Last night was really fun. And it was the first time I’d allowed myself to really have fun with someone…in a very long time. Like, a shockingly long time.”

“I’m glad we’re becoming friends,” Caitlin said with a shrug.

His eyes met hers with a sudden, piercing revelation.

“Friends?” he said, and then his mouth quirked in a slight smile when he saw the twinkle in her eyes.

“You’re teasing me again.”

She shook her head with mocking seriousness. “I never tease.”

He heaved a sigh, his shoulders slightly slumped as though he had resigned himself to an unknown fate.

“Wait here a moment.” And with that, he disappeared down the hallway.

She heard the back door open and close, and with no idea what he was doing or what she should do, she simply resumed unpacking the box in front of her. The door opened again, and suddenly he had returned with a sizable box in his hands. He set it on the cash register counter and appeared to be warring with a decision.

“Another shipment?” she said, growing more and more curious by the moment.

“Not exactly,” he said, pushing the box down the length of the counter as she approached. “Open it.”

Caitlin gave him another one of those looks filled with concern and consternation. She had been doing it all day, and it was one of the many reasons he had decided to hole himself up in the back room. He didn’t like what his mood was doing to her. But hopefully this would remedy things.

And if it made things worse…then so be it, he decided.

She picked up a pair of scissors from behind the counter and sliced the packing tape. She gently pulled the flaps of the box aside and lifted the tissue paper to reveal—

“A coat,” Caitlin said, pulling the long parka from the box.

She held it up and found that it hung just above her knees, and the entire inside including the hood was lined with a faux fur. It was a _really_ nice winter jacket.

“You bought me a coat,” she said, staring at him with an expression that appeared to be a mix of annoyance and confusion.

“I ordered this two weeks ago,” he said, staring down at the floor.

Caitlin shook her head. “I don't understand.”

“I was concerned about you. I couldn’t stop thinking about—how cold you always were.”

“You didn't have to do this. I was saving up for one. I can take care of myself.”

He glanced up at the defensive note in her voice. He was certain he was going to say the wrong thing.

“We’re in one of the coldest months of the season, and most stores are already sold out. Besides, I know you took this job because you were struggling financially. I wanted to make sure you had a coat of good quality.”

She frowned at him. He had definitely said the wrong thing.

“Well, it was a nice gesture, but I don’t need your pity.” She held the coat out to him, her eyes averted.

She was flushed and breathing heavily, and he realized he had probably embarrassed her.

“I’m—sorry,” he said, still feeling like he was going to choke on the word. “I didn't realize it would upset you.”

“Well, it did,” she said, shaking the coat toward him.

Harrison shook his head, suddenly angry again. He snatched it from her outstretched hand.

“You drive me crazy, you know that?” he said, waving the offending article in front of her.

Her eyes met his, and there was a clear challenge in them. “The same could be said of you.”

“I know I can be difficult, but you can be just as stubborn, you know.” He took a step towards her.

“Me? Stubborn? Give me one example,” and she crossed her arms over her chest.

He held up the coat toward her again. “I bought this for you as a gesture.”

“No doubt a gesture that was supposed to be one of kindness and friendship—”

“That damn word again,” he said, taking another step toward her. He leaned in slightly, watching as her eyes widened. _It’s now or never, Harry._

“The coat is for you. Because I like you and I care about you a great deal.”

Her brow furrowed. “I like you, too. As a—”

“Not as a friend,” he said, shaking his head decidedly. “So much more than that.”

She stared at him, her mouth falling open slightly. “Oh,” was all she said.

“Caitlin,” he held up the article of clothing with the inside facing her. “Take the coat.”

Her mouth pinched into a straight line and then into the hint of a smirk. Her arms were still crossed over her chest.

“Absolutely not,” she replied, standing just a fraction of an inch taller to emphasize this point.

He smirked at her. “Humor me just this once.”

Her face softened for a brief second before returning to its mask of stubborn refusal.

“Nope,” she said.

“Please,” he said, his voice low and gentle. “You don’t have to keep it. Just try it on once and then I can throw it back in the box and we never have to talk about it again.”

She frowned and then threw her hands in the air.

“Ugh, fine.” She turned her back to him and he helped her into the jacket. “Oooooh,” she said suddenly. “Is this fake fur on the entire lining?”

“Yes,” he said, chuckling slightly when she bounced on the balls of her feet and wrapped the coat tightly around herself.

She turned and had a sudden smile on her face. She looked almost playful.

“Okay, I might never take this off again.”

He couldn’t resist returning her smile. “I take it you approve?”

She shook her head. “I do not understand you, Harrison.”

He indulged in a sudden impulse and reached forward to pull the hood up around her face. He let his hand linger at the edge of the faux fur lining, his finger less than an inch from the warmth of her cheek.

“That’s a fair observation,” he said, reaching up to tug the hood forward so it fell over her eyes.

She smirked. “That’s a nice, quality hood. It’s a shame I can’t see your face because I know you’re probably giving me a very self-satisfied look—”

She was halted mid-sentence because Harrison had leaned down and kissed her.

“I’m—sorry,” he said.

Caitlin pulled the hood from her head in time to catch sight of him backing away.

“Harrison,” she said, stepping forward, but he was still vigorously backpedaling.

“That was highly inappropriate, and I don’t know what came over me.”

“Harrison,” she tried again, walking forward as he continued to retreat.

“It’s highly irregular behavior for me, and I don’t want you to think I go around kissing all of our employees here.”

“Harry, would you stand still for two seconds!” Caitlin said, having finally cornered him behind the cash register.

He glanced up, his eyes shielded by the reflected light on his glasses.

Suddenly, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He froze for a millisecond before wrapping his arms around her and drawing her to him in a deeper kiss. He explored her full lips with sudden interest and excitement—feelings he hadn’t experienced in some time. But it didn’t appear to be one-sided. Caitlin had wrapped her arms around his neck and was returning the embrace with surprising heat.

He drew back slightly and met her half-lidded gaze.

“Caitlin,” he said.

“Hmmm-what?” she hummed, seemingly only half-aware of her surroundings.

She had one hand tangled in his hair and the other gripped the front of his sweater.

“I take it you like the coat?”

“Very much,” she said, her eyes still holding a dreamy sort of detached look.

He opened his mouth to reply, but his phone began to buzz in his pocket. He (very) reluctantly released his hold on her and reached down to answer the phone call, but not before flipping the hood up onto Caitlin’s head again as she turned to walk away.

“Hey!” she said. “I’m blind!” and she pretended to fumble her way to the end of the counter.

He answered the call with a laugh still lingering on his lips.

“Sorry to disrupt your fun, Harry, but I need a ride home. Susan’s car decided not to start.”

Harrison agreed to pick her up in a few minutes and hung up with a resigned sigh, knowing their fun _had_ ended—at least for now.

“I have to go,” he said, doing nothing to hide the regret in his voice.

She turned from where she was emptying the last of the boxes and fixed him with a soft smile, one he hadn’t seen before. Though they had just been in each other’s arms not a minute prior, there was a new sort of awkwardness that fell between them.

“I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow?” she said, tucking the box behind the counter and standing to meet his gaze again.

He nodded, reaching out to toy with the fake fur at the edge of the hood, which she still wore on top of her head.

“Can I talk to you later?” he said.

Caitlin’s stomach did a little flip at the unexpected sound of uncertainty in his voice. “Of course,” she said, flushing slightly. “You can talk to me anytime.”

He nodded and leaned down to peck her cheek. It was chaste and sweet, but it held a new sort of promise.

“So, everything alright?” Dani asked as they made their way to her small condo.

“Yes, why do you ask?” he said.

“Because you missed the turn to my house.”

He laughed this time, and Dani would have to be a blind fool to misinterpret his suddenly elevated mood with anything other than a successful afternoon spent with Caitlin. She nodded her head once, satisfied that all her machinations had done some good for once.

_Hello. Sorry I was an idiot for most of the day._

Caitlin stared down at the direct message from Harrison.

_That’s okay,_ she typed back. _You made up for some things._

_Some?_ He said. _Not all?_

_Not quite,_ she said.

_Hm. I’ll have to try harder, then. ;)_

Caitlin burst into laughter, wondering if it would be too insulting if she sent a screenshot of this conversation to Cisco. But he would appreciate the bizarre event that was Harrison trying to use an actual emoji in a text.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaah, the moment we have all been waiting for! I hope to continue on in this fluffy fashion for quite some time. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> <3 <3


	8. More Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He laughed, and she realized how rare and precious the sound was.

“UM, EXCUSE ME MISS THING.”

Caitlin had answered her phone and instantly regretted it as Cisco’s voice came barreling through the speaker. She glanced at the time and groaned. Her alarm hadn’t even gone off yet.

“Uuugh it’s so early! Whaaaaat??”

“What is this adorable selfie of you with a new coat?” Cisco demanded.

“If Harry bought it for you, I totally called it,” she heard Barry call out in the background.

“He—uh—sort of surprised me with it yesterday,” she said, rolling over and slowly pulling herself from the comfort of her bed. There was no way she was going back to sleep again with these two on the phone.

“I KNEW IT!” Cisco shouted.

“Technically, _I_ did,” Barry retorted.

“Yes,” Cisco said, his voice softer as he turned away from the phone. “We all know you are a brilliant, handsome genius.”

A rattling sound came over the speaker, and suddenly Barry was talking into it.

“I have absconded with Cisco’s phone because we are supposed to be unplugging for our official, on-again, for-serious anniversary. But I just wanted to say that I hope you are having a good time being lavished with gifts from a handsome new man.”

“We just want you to be happy!” Cisco called out, and she heard Barry give him a playful rebuff.

“Anyway, we love you bunches. Have a good day, and we’ll talk to you tonight!” Barry said quickly, while Cisco was clearly trying to snatch his phone back.

“Save me, Caitlin! He’s severing my one connection to the real world! I’ll never make it—”

The line disconnected, and Caitlin couldn’t help but laugh despite her grogginess.

She wandered into the kitchen like a zombie. In all honesty, she had gotten very little sleep last night. She was equal parts excited and anxious. While the kiss was deliciously good fun, Caitlin couldn’t help worrying about what happened next. Would he have another weird day where he retreated completely?

Caitlin breathed a sigh to calm herself, reminding her anxieties that she had no control over his behavior. She got herself ready and tried not to dwell on all the possibilities (good or bad) before leaving for their half-day at work. It was Christmas Eve, and they hoped to snag a few last-minute shoppers before closing for the week.

She parked her car in the employee lot and walked around to the front of the store, only to find that Harrison was already inside. He caught sight of her and came to let her in.

“Good morning,” he said, holding the door for her.

“Hi,” she said, studying his face for any signs of a foul mood.

Instead, he was surveying her with an unusually soft look.

“What?” she said, suddenly self-conscious.

“Nothing,” he responded, shaking his head. “You just look nice today.”

She turned away to hide the flush that was making its way up her neck. Really, it was ridiculous how much she felt like she was suffering a schoolgirl crush. And it was unfair just how handsome he looked this morning.

Dani greeted her with an odd little smile. Caitlin realized she must have been watching their interaction at the front door.

“There are croissants and coffee in the back, dear,” Dani said, giving Caitlin a wink.

She wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she just thanked her and went to the back room to hang her coat and help herself to a second breakfast.

Caitlin glanced up from the coffee she was pouring to find Harrison standing in the doorway. He had the strangest expression on his face. She set the creamer down and was about to inquire if he was feeling ill, when he suddenly walked forward and drew her into a kiss. She was startled at first but happily melted into his arms.

He pulled back slightly and stared down at her with a sudden frown.

“It’s going to be very difficult to keep myself from doing that all day,” he said.

She laughed and turned away to finish fixing her coffee and to avoid any possibility of Dani catching them in the act. “Luckily we only have to work till noon.”

He had an air of expectancy about him that made her think he wanted to say something else. Instead, he rubbed the hair at the back of his head and excused himself to finish getting the store ready.

Caitlin pulled out her phone and decided that whether or not Cisco or Barry would see the messages, she would still keep them informed of the play-by-play of the morning. After all, given the spontaneous kiss, she guessed there might be repeat performances.

She was sadly disappointed as they were distracted by a surprising number of shoppers. Many were already looking through the clearance sections, while others sought out last-minute stocking stuffers or gifts. The flow of visitors was steady, and it kept them fairly occupied for most of the morning.

Caitlin, however, was determined to pay him back for the spontaneous kiss in the kitchen. She found her opportunity when a customer asked for an item in a different color. The box in question was on a high shelf and was quite heavy, so she called out for Harrison to come assist her. They had just barely stepped into the storeroom when she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled her to him.

He resisted for a millisecond before he realized what was happening. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. He met her lips with an eager almost frantic energy, and suddenly she found herself pressed up against one of the walls in the storeroom. His hands stayed firmly within respectable boundaries, but by the way he pressed into her, it was clear he was having trouble restraining himself.

Breathless, she pulled back and met his gaze. He appeared dazed, but there was a new sort of spark in his eyes.

“What did…uh…what were we coming in here for again?” he said, glancing around as if realizing where he was for the first time.

“I think it was that box,” she said pointing at it. “But mostly I just wanted to kiss you again.”

He laughed, and she realized how rare and precious the sound was.

“I think we’ll have to reserve more of this for later,” he said, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

The way he emphasized the word _later_ gave her a small thrill. She wondered how soon she could make that _later_ happen.

He cleared his throat. The usual wall of feigned indifference fell across his features as he stepped back and straightened his wrinkled and half-removed sweater. Caitlin didn’t remember doing that, but she must have. Somehow, her button-up top had also come un-tucked from her belted pants. Her face suddenly flushed hot. They looked a mess, and anyone with a shred of common sense would know exactly what they had been up to.

Caitlin quickly retrieved the box (which, it turns out, she didn’t really need Harrison’s help for) and pulled out the desired items. Harrison grabbed her arm before she left.

“Wait, your hair is a wreck,” he said with a soft chuckle.

She reached up and redid the high ponytail, realizing half of it had been tugged loose from its elastic band. She pointed out that his glasses were crooked, and with stifled laughter, the pair of them returned to the store. Thankfully the customer didn’t seem to notice. Dani, however, narrowed her eyes at the pair of them and silently shook her head with a fond smile.

At last, the day came to a close. They hadn’t found any more opportunities for surreptitious trips to the storeroom, but she was determined not to let their time together end just yet.

Dani seemed determined to close up shop as soon as possible, saying she had casseroles to bake and needed to get home soon. Caitlin didn’t have a chance to speak privately to Harrison, so once they all said their goodbyes, she sent him a few texts.

He responded within ten minutes, and suddenly he was on his way over to her house. The minute they settled on their plans, Caitlin wondered if she had made a mistake. Her place was a bit of a mess, to put it mildly.

She sent a few panicked texts to Cisco before diving into the process of straightening and organizing her usual clutter. The dirty dishes would just have to live in the sink for now.

She quickly ran to her bathroom and made sure she didn’t look a complete mess, and then the doorbell rang.

Harrison stood on her welcome mat with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was embarrassingly rusty at all of this—dating stuff. He really hoped this wouldn’t be a disaster.

And then the door opened, and it was devastating just how pretty she looked.

“Hi,” he said, stunned that he was actually standing on her porch.

“Hi,” she said, stepping back to let him in and feeling annoyed at just how handsome he looked.

He made his way in and stood by the front door, the picture of uncertainty.

“You can—take your shoes off, if you like,” she offered, accepting the paper bag he held out to her.

“I got chocolate chip and blueberry. I didn’t know your preference.”

She opened the bag and stole a peek at the baked goods. “Chocolate is always a solid choice.”

After a pause, in which the two of them stared at one another, she cleared her throat and showed him around the home. It was a modest carpenter-style house that had been refurbished to incorporate its original charm and style, down to the choice of furniture. He glanced around and decided it was very _Caitlin_. He liked it.

They seated themselves on the couch, and she showed him the choice of films for the day.

“Little Women?” he said, reading off one of the titles.

“Well…it’s not one of the traditional picks, but it’s a personal favorite. Part of it takes place around Christmas, so it sort of counts.” She was picking at her muffin and appeared quite ill at ease.

He wondered if he had made a mistake imposing on her Saturday. But he was hopelessly missing her after work, and he was having trouble caring just how much of a sap that made him.

“Well, I like Katharine Hepburn,” he said. “I haven’t seen this one.”

She smiled at him, some of her usual sunshine returning. She started the movie and insisted on making him a cup of coffee (which she knew he took with one sugar and no cream). On returning, he noticed she decided to sit a little closer to him. He didn’t mind in the least.

They lost themselves in the delights of an old-fashioned film, and once they had finished their afternoon treats, he even tried something new. He reached out and took her hand. Caitlin initially flinched, but she quickly apologized and relaxed into his hold.

“It’s—uh—been a while?” she offered as explanation.

He gave her a ridiculously fond smile and nodded his head. “Me, too.”

This seemed to help relax her, and she even leaned over and rested her head on the back of the couch near his shoulder.

Harrison was giddy and contented, enjoying the comfortable stillness between them. After a while, he realized Caitlin had fallen asleep with the full weight of her head resting on him. He decided to try yet another new thing. He moved his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. With a little sigh, she curled into his side and continued to slumber. He didn’t imagine it could get any more perfect than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this (short) belated Christmas gift to me from you! This was such a delight to write, and I hope to return to this couple in future stories. Stay safe out there!! <3 <3 All my love to you.


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